An Architectural History of the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation

Gay Sweely

During the 1960s and 70s, many important structures in were un- 1 These developments were reported sympathetically demolished due to the lack of heritage laws and the introduc- in the local newspapers, the , (Christchurch) and the tion of new construction codes for withstanding seismic activity. Noted historian Otago Daily Times. The newspapers of- John Wilson recorded some of these buildings in Lost Christchurch (1984). Four ten carried notices or reports of inter- years later, the heritage-protected synagogue of the Canterbury Hebrew Con- est to the Jewish community, especially gregation in Gloucester Street met the same demise. In the middle of that year, those solemn days observed throughout the year. In addition, news from other the site contained only rubble from a building that had been loved and admired New Zealand Jewish communities was by many: Jews, local residents and visitors alike. Today, few people walking in also reported by the local press. The Gloucester Street would realize that a once-stately polychrome building proudly Archives of the Christchurch Hebrew Congregation contain a large number of occupied what is now a vacuum of asphalt paving. newspaper clippings, from which many of the details in the present account are This paper outlines the design, construction and ultimate loss of T. S. Lambert’s taken. Further details were obtained Christchurch synagogue. To contextualize the building’s design and construc- from personal interviews with S. Cook tion, the paper also considers earlier synagogues in Australia and other New and S. Bures. Zealand cities. The final section discusses the loss of the Gloucester Street build- ing and the re-use of various elements from it in the replacement, Durham Street synagogue, which continues to serve the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation’s present-day needs.

T. S. Lambert’s Synagogue

In the early 1860s, gold was discovered on the West Coast near Hokitika, and a small group of Jewish miners and merchants established a congregation on the goldfields. When the gold deposits subsequently dwindled, the Jews of Hokitika and South Westland settled in the Canterbury area. The Torah from the Hokitika congregation was sent and proudly displayed in Christchurch (CHC, 1963b: 11). This combined congregation offered lectures, meetings and social functions dur- ing the late 1860s, as recorded in various articles, advertisements and notices in the local newspaper, the Press.

In 1870, the Rev. Isaac Zachariah arrived in Christchurch from the West Coast and, until 1905, provided substantial leadership, hitherto offered only by lay members. During the 1870s, New Zealand Anglo-Jewish Associations and the Jewish Philanthropic Society were formed, as well as a Hebrew school (though informal until 1890) for the study of Judaic literature in the Canterbury 1 Hebrew Congregation.

Although the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation was steadily growing, Jewish immigration to New Zealand had historically been low. In the 1870s and 80s, Jews immigrating to New Zealand and Australia were no longer only from Great Britain. The majority of the new immigrants were eastern-European Jews escap- ing waves of pogroms and massive episodes of oppression. The Hebrew congre- gation in Canterbury had expanded so much by 1875 that a meeting was held

95 Fig. 3: The lower level. Drawn by Jonathan Rollins. Fig. 4: The interior, showing the ceiling, gallery and circular window. Drawn by Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Jonathan Rollins.

The exterior fronting Gloucester Street East has an elevation of much 2 “The great majority of the new larger Fig. 1: The circular Star of David originality, the chief feature in it being a large circular window, the commercial buildings of the 1870s and stained-glass window in Lambert’s 1880s, and beyond … were Italianate, a building. Drawn by Jonathan tracery of which takes the form of the double triangle (Fig. 1). On either style common in other New Zealand cit- Rollins, Department of Art & Design, side are smaller windows harmonising with the first, and below are ies … [and] many of the city’s imposing Eastern Kentucky University. a pair of handsomely panelled entrance doors... admission is gained Italianate buildings came also from the Fig. 2: The Ark. Drawn by hands of other architects like T. S. Lam- Fig. 1 Fig. 2 through a vestibule, paved with marble in a lozenge pattern.... Two Jonathan Rollins. bert” (Wilson et al., 2008: 81). doors hung so as to open in either direction, lead to the main build- to discuss more suitable accommodation. A building committee was selected to ing. Here, the most striking feature is the decorations at the South end decide on congregational requirements, available funding and an appropriate of the building. This is where the Ark is situated (Fig. 2). The Ark itself architect. The Canterbury-area Jewish community banded together and raised, in is a large receptacle, lined with red velvet and enclosed with two mas- a very short time, £4,000 – quite a feat for such a small congregation. The promi- sively carved sliding doors. In front of these hangs a white silk veil.… nent Christchurch architect Thomas Stoddart Lambert (1840-1915) was selected. The gallery is supported by iron fluted pillars, having capitals orna- mented with lilies and pomegranates (Figs. 3 and 4).... The lighting Lambert’s designs in Canterbury prior to 1880 had included churches, residences, by day is provided by four double windows on each side, filled with schools, commercial buildings and rural hotels. The Jewish community would cathedral glass, and outlined by glass of more brilliant colours, the have been aware of many of these structures, but they were probably more aware same colours being introduced into the large North window. (New of his commercial buildings on High Street for Mark Marks, W. Simpson and Synagogue, 1880: 2) B. Simpson, as Marks was a member of the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation The Christchurch synagogue was an eclectic mixture of architectural styles. (CHC, 1963c: 11). Born in Selkirk, Scotland, Lambert served his articles there be- Lambert designed in the classical style, as well as the Venetian Gothic and fore extensive travel and a brief residence in London. He arrived in New Zealand 2 Gothic styles. It was a basilica-like structure: the white vertical rusticated bands in early 1866, working on various structures north of the Wellington Province. could easily be massive columns or pilasters. A classical pediment appeared at In 1874, he moved to Wellington but was not optimistic about building prospects the apex, but Gothic window hoods broke up the classical approach. there and thus moved to Christchurch, where he entered the office of Frederick Strouts, who in 1871 had been one of four founding members of the Canterbury Lambert’s use of rustication and constructional polychromy placed the syna- Association of Architects (Stacpoole, 1976: 163). Under Strouts’ supervision, Lam- gogue comfortably within the Canterbury architectural aesthetics of the time. bert “personally surveyed the entire city of Christchurch” (Cyclopedia, 1903: 581). Lambert effectively married classical, Gothic and Scottish elements into a very In 1877, Lambert formed his own architectural firm. He was most likely selected distinctive design. The small Canterbury congregation seemingly for the new synagogue because of his professional reputation: “His contracts was pleased with both the interior design, which was reminiscent of British syn- [were] finished without extras, and their total cost [was] usually somewhat under agogues, and the ornamental exterior: “It had taken more than a year in building his written estimate previously given” (Cyclopedia, 1903: 581). and all the records show that it was considered by all present to be a very hand- some building and worthy of the Jewish citizens of Christchurch at that time” A successful local Christchurch contractor, W. Prudhoe, was selected for the (CHC, 1963c: 14). synagogue construction. Prudhoe had served as contractor for architect , known for the Christchurch Mechanics Institute, and had completed se- veral Government contracts (Akaroa Civic Trust, n.d.). An 1880 newspaper article Early Synagogues in New Zealand reported that the new synagogue design was unique and that its façade design The mid-nineteenth-century English Jews who settled in New Zealand would would be clad in blue, white and yellow stone, with exterior walls of brick. As the have been familiar with many synagogues around Great Britain, and perhaps account notes, the new synagogue was completed in November 1880: in Continental Europe and Australia. On the continent, architects of synagogues built during this period were experimenting with various styles, such as Roman-

INTERSTICES 09 97 3 There is no archival information linking esque, Byzantine, classical, Moorish and German Gothic. However, this eclecti- Provincial Council. By the early 1860s, the congregation was outgrow- 6 The style of the Dunedin synagogue is along the lines of More Park, Hertford- the South Island’s Louis Edward Nathan cism in design did not surface in the architecture of English Jewry (for example, ing its wooden synagogue and had to consider building a larger structure on a to David Nathan of (Clements, shire, especially the central pedimented 2008). Hambro and Bevis Marks in London), for reasons of discretion and financial “more suitable and central site” (Balkind, 1928: 12). Thus, in early 1863, the con- porch and the verticality of the structure. constraints. The Gothic Revival style of the was held in gregation advertised for a permanent minister and began to discuss the feasibi- 4 There is no ancient tradition governing 7 Nathan served as president of the the separation of the sexes or placement anathema by Jews for its Christian connotations. lity of a new synagogue in a different location. Canterbury Hebrew Congregation from of women in a gallery. The practice can 1863-64, 1867, 1870, 1873, 1875 and 1879. Jewish settlers remaining in Australia after the gold rush of 1851 moved to urban In 1863, William Henry Clayton (1823-77) was awarded the tender for the new be traced to thirteenth-century syna- 8 This request was placed by Henry Moss gogues in Europe. areas, founded minyans (ten Jewish males, the number required by Judaic law Dunedin synagogue. When Clayton became a partner of William Mason, he of the Jewish Central Committee in 5 The rapid growth in numbers must to hold a worship service), and built synagogues. The first colonial synagogues brought with him this commission for the synagogue. Clayton, who is best Lyttelton (Call for Subscriptions, 1860: 5). have been due, in part, to the shift of the were temporary wooden, box-like structures. As their communities expanded known for his wooden Government Buildings in Wellington (1876), Government seat of the government from Auckland and became more established, permanent synagogues were planned, designed House in Wellington (1868-71), and the Christchurch Government Buildings in to Wellington in February 1865. and erected. The Great Synagogue at Sydney, facing Hyde Park, was built in 1878. Cathedral Square (1875-77), had only recently arrived in Dunedin from Tasmania. The interior is characterized by its “semi-centrally planned seating arrange- He was appointed Colonial Architect in 1869 (Crighton, 1985: vi). ment” and gallery (Crighton, 1985: 153; also see Summerson, 1963: 338). Designed by Thomas Rowe, it is a magnificent building mixing the Byzantine style with The Dunedin synagogue, the southern-most synagogue in the world (Judd, n.d.), Gothic characteristics. The twin towers on the façade are of Pyrmont sandstone, was designed in a classical style in 1881, with a facade of Oamaru limestone. The symmetrical design has a vertical, uplifting emphasis created by tapering characteristically moulded and carved in the period style. The spacious interior 6 is resplendent with cast-iron columns, plaster decorations on the arches, and a columns. The Corinthian columns correspond aesthetically with the Hebrew panelled and groined ceiling. The stained-glass windows and fine light pendants inscription on the frieze. Other than the inscription and the Magen David (a six- render the interior jewel-like. pointed star) in the centre of the pediment, the only other Jewish emblem on the façade was a menorah (a candelabrum for Jewish services) above the apex of the A minyan was achieved in Auckland in the 1840s, and these Jewish males held pediment. The classical style was understood to tread on neutral ground, “with services in a warehouse loft in Shortland Street, owned by David Nathan until few religious associations of its own” (De Breffny, 1978: 175). In addition, the clas- 3 1847. “The number of male worshipers was very few, as at this time there were sical style also conveyed a desirable sense of antiquity (Gunman, 1981: 103-21). only thirty-three Jews altogether in Auckland – men, women and children” (Balkind, 1928: 23). From 1847 until 1858, a separate room in the warehouse served The Canterbury Hebrew Congregation as the worship area for the small congregation. Sometime in 1858, the Auckland congregation leased a one-storey wooden building under construction, in Emily By 1860, small Jewish congregations had been established in the major cities of Place at the top of Shortland Street. Since the building was only one storey, the the North and South Islands, with the exception of Christchurch. The Jews had women had to be seated behind the men, instead of in galleries, as is the Jewish not sailed to New Zealand as members of any organized group, but it can be 4 custom (Rivkin, 1971: 339-40; Hachlili, 1998: 24, 84). assumed that they were seeking a land where they could freely practise their faith and safely raise their families. Early New Zealand Jewish-immigrant Louis The small Jewish congregation in Wellington preceded the formation of any con- Edward Nathan was most likely in search of a nascent mercantile area and a new gregation in the South Island. A minyan was established during the 1840s, and life in Canterbury: a predominantly High Church Anglican colony. Nathan, later this congregation held temporary services in the residence of the congregation’s 5 elected as the first president of the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation, was one President for Shabbat (Sabbath) worship. This synagogue served the Wellington 7 of the first Jews in Canterbury (CHC, 1963a: 13; Clements, n.d.). The first record community well until growing numbers in the late 1860s dictated that larger of the presence of a Jewish community on the Canterbury Plain was printed premises were needed. 8 in a newspaper “call for subscriptions” to aid former Moroccan Jews. Nathan The first Jewish settlements in the South Island were at Nelson and Timaru. The returned to England (perhaps for supplies or his family) and arrived back in congregations of Dunedin and Canterbury were organized later, most likely Canterbury by 1864 (CHC, 1963b: 1). Prior to that time, there is no record of any due to the fact that these were Christian church-related, planned settlements. recognized structure or site of Jewish worship in the Canterbury region. In Janu- Similar to the other Jewish settlements in the colony, Dunedin’s first synagogue ary 1864, a congregation was established, and Nathan elected to the chair. was a wooden structure on lease-hold land in George Street that was purchased, The group met regularly in Nathan’s home in St. Asaph Street, officiated by repaired and altered in the late 1850s (Balkind, 1928: 10). The 43-male congre- Mark Marks (CHC, 1963c: 11). To build the first Canterbury synagogue, £300 was gation adhered to the English Jewish rituals and placed themselves under the subscripted immediately, and a request for government assistance discussed. jurisdiction of Dr N. M. Adler, the Chief Rabbi in London, with services con- Subsequently, a subscription list was left in all of the area newspaper offices and ducted by lay members and readers. many commercial premises in Christchurch and nearby Lyttelton. A general The Dunedin Jewish congregation definitely viewed themselves as fortunate. meeting concerning the possible site and design of the proposed synagogue was Not only did they possess a magnificent Pentateuch (the scroll of the Mosaic Law also held the same month. In June, tenders for the design were called for in the essential to every synagogue) and a baldachin (a canopy for special ceremonies, local newspaper. such as weddings), they also were granted a separate cemetery by the Otago

INTERSTICES 09 99 Fig. 5: The exterior of the new Durham Fig 6: The interior of the Durham Street Street synagogue. Photograph by building. Photograph courtesy of the Gay Sweely. Fig. 5 Fig. 6 Press (Christchurch).

9 It may be assumed that Mountfort, The first building planned for the Jewish community in the Canterbury region a Class C heritage building of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (Cattrell, the architect of the early shul, was sim- was a small wooden shul (in Yiddish, a house of worship). It was decided that 1985: 62). Renovations were completed in 1963, prior to the observance of the cen- ply too busy to design the replacement synagogue. At that time, Mountfort was Divine Services would be held in this structure until a proper synagogue could tennial of the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation in Christchurch (CHC, 1963c: continuing his building programme in be financed, but the completion of this modest building was a testament to a 40). Lambert’s synagogue was a survivor, by the mid-1980s nestled between low- Rangiora with the Anglican Church of group of people who had survived displacement and relocation (CHC, 1963b: rise mixed-use buildings, including a Masonic Lodge, an art gallery and, a little St. John the Baptist (1859-82) for the 11). Unfortunately, nothing, at present, is known of the form or appearance of to the west, Christchurch Girls’ High School. Rev. Benjamin Woolley Dudley, and he was also supervising construction of the this structure. Primarily intended to serve as a building for Hebrew instruction, Christchurch Cathedral (Macdonald, the function almost dictates a modest design – most likely resembling a small Another New Synagogue for Christchurch 1964; see also Sweely, 1988: 6-23). wooden-gabled school of the era. In 1987, serious cracks in the foundations of Lambert’s building were of great The architect for the 1864 shul was Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort (1825-98), concern to the congregation. While the architect’s design was a monument who was, like Lambert, a member of the Canterbury Association of Architects to the community and the synagogue had served its purpose and the com- (Stacpoole, 1976: 163). At the time Mountfort submitted his design proposal for munity most admirably, time had inevitably taken its toll. The only solution was the Canterbury shul, he was also overseeing work on the new Canterbury Provin- to meet elsewhere. The congregation purchased a former Brethren Assembly cial Council Buildings (1858-65). The site for the shul was on inner-city Gloucester Hall in Durham Street, to be redesigned to include a social hall, offices, kitchen Street, only a short distance from the Provincial Council Buildings. By 1865, the and a worship area. This task was given to the Christchurch firm of Skews, Hay new building was complete. The congregation rapidly acquired necessary furni- and Archer. A new synagogue on Durham Street was also commissioned. ture and items for its services from Europe and Palestine. In order to retain some of the beautiful decorations from Lambert’s building In the latter 1860s and early 1870s, as outlined at the beginning of this paper, – and a fragment of Jewish history in Canterbury – Samuel Cook, a prominent the congregation grew and the decision was made to pursue Christchurch’s first Christchurch contractor and synagogue member, was directed to salvage im- proper synagogue, leading to the realization of Lambert’s building in 1879-80. portant portions of the old synagogue for re-use in the new building. In early Before construction could start, Mountfort’s old shul building was removed to an 1988, the old façade was scaffolded to remove the Star of David circular window, adjoining, recently acquired, property, to be used for the congregation’s educa- entrance doors and stained-glass windows. Stone from the Gloucester Street front tional and social activities (Lochhead, 1999: 318). The site vacated by the shul was and Durham Street side was carefully removed and incorporated into the new then prepared for the new synagogue (CHC, 1963b: 1). M. Harris, congregation façade and walls. Lastly, Cook’s crew painstakingly removed the inner doors, president, performed the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone, and a sealed 9 bimah, seats and desks, the upper portion of the Ark with the Decalogue (the Ten jar was placed inside the foundation stone to commemorate the event. Commandments), and the Ark sliding doors. All of the wooden items had been Lambert’s synagogue admirably served the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation constructed from native kauri and were remarkably well preserved. By 6 May for over 100 years. It was the site of a plethora of lectures, bazaars, fund-raising 1988, one lone section of rubble was all that remained on the site of Lambert’s ventures for aid to Jews around the world, and solemn events, such as the ob- historic synagogue. servance of Queen Victoria’s passing, as well as its significance in the region as

INTERSTICES 09 101 The Canterbury Hebrew Congregation’s new synagogue was consecrated on 14 The Cyclopedia of New Zealand (1903). Canterbury ed. vol. 3. Christchurch: Horace J. Weeks. May 1988, with about 120 people attending the service, led by the Rev. Jeffrey De Breffny, B. (1978). The Synagogue, London: Macmillan. Leverton. The exterior included the nineteenth-century stonework preserved Goldman, L. M. (1958). History of the Jews in New Zealand, Wellington: A. H. & A. W. Reed. and used in new ways – in paths, border walls and the frontal piece, which re- sembles a stone tablet (Fig. 5) – while behind those officiating at the service were Gunman, J. (Ed.) (1981). Ancient Synagogues: The State of Research. Chico, California: Scholars Press. the redesigned stained-glass windows from Lambert’s synagogue, enshrined by a kauri feature wall and now at eye level (Fig. 6). Hachlili, R. (1998). Ancient Jewish Art and Archaeology in the Diaspora. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill. Judd, S. (n.d.). Jews in New Zealand. Retrieved 10 July, 2008, from http://vital.org.nz/ nzjews.html Reflections Kadish, S. (2006). Jewish Heritage in England: An Architectural Guide. Swindon, England: Expatriate Jews, part of a never-ending worldwide diaspora of expatriates, English Heritage. sought final refuge in the South Island of New Zealand in the latter portion of Krinsky, C. H. (1996). Synagogues of Europe: Architecture, History, Meaning. New York: the nineteenth century. In addition to unconventional meeting places, the Can- Courier Dover Publications. terbury Hebrew Congregation built three houses of religious worship in the Lochhead, I. (1999). A Dream of Spires: Benjamin Mountfort and the Gothic Revival. region. Lambert’s synagogue (1880-1988) should be remembered in the architec- Christchurch: Canterbury University Press. tural history of the Jews of New Zealand as a jewel built for a small group of Macdonald, G. R. (1964). The Macdonald Dictionary of Biography. Christchurch: Canterbury expatriate settlers on the Canterbury Plain, seeking to find their way in a time Museum. of upheaval, displacement and relocation. These expatriates, like so many before New Synagogue (1880, December 16). Press, p. 2. them, were seeking a way to express their religious views in art and architecture Rivkin, E. (1971). The Shaping of Jewish History: A Radical Interpretation. New York: Charles in a new land. During the centenary celebrations of 11 August 1963, a special Scribner’s Sons. prayer was presented by the clergy officiating in honour of the Canterbury He- Stacpoole, J. (1976). Colonial Architecture in New Zealand. Wellington: A. H. & A. W. Reed. brew Congregation that built “such a beautiful Synagogue … a source of great pride and inspiration to all of us who are the inheritors of those worthy Jewish Summerson, J. (1963). Architecture in Britain: 1530-1830. 2nd ed. Baltimore: Penguin Books. Pioneers” (CHC, 1963c: 42). The demolition of Lambert’s nineteenth-century syn- agogue was a major heritage loss for Christchurch and the Jewish community of Sweely, G. C. (1988). The Anglican Church of St. John the Baptist, Rangiora, 1860-1988. New Zealand. Its replacement with a utilitarian carpark continues to rankle with Unpublished manuscript held in Christchurch Library Archives, Christchurch. historians, although more generally, the memory of Lambert’s synagogue has Wilson, J. (1984). Lost Christchurch. Auckland: Lansdowne Press. started to fade and it is hoped that this research will help to keep it alive. Wilson, J. et al. (2008). Contextual Historical Overview for Christchurch City: Final Draft Report for Comment. Christchurch City Council, Christchurch. Retrieved 2 July, 2008, from http://www.ccc.govt.nz/Christchurch/Heritage/Publications/Christchurch References CityContextualHistoryOverview/ChristchurchCityContextualHistoryOverview Introduction.pdf Akaroa Civic Trust (n.d.). Walk Akaroa. Retrieved 15 August, 2007, from http://www. historicakaroa.co.nz/buildingdetail Balkind, V. F. (1928). A Contribution to the History of Jews in New Zealand. Unpublished Masters Thesis, University of New Zealand, Canterbury. Call for Subscriptions (1860, April 18). Lyttelton Times, p. 5. Canterbury Hebrew Congregation [CHC]. (1963a). Canterbury Hebrew Congregation History. Archives of the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation, Christchurch. Canterbury Hebrew Congregation [CHC]. (1963b). Centennial Address. Archives of the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation, Christchurch. Canterbury Hebrew Congregation [CHC]. (1963c). The First One-hundred Years of the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation. Christchurch: The President and Board of Management of the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation. Cattrell, J. (Ed.) (1985). Historic Buildings of Canterbury and South Canterbury: A Register of Classified Buildings. Wellington: New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Clements, M. (2008). Pers. comm. to the author (29 June). Clements, M. (n.d.). Notes on Jewish Participation in New Zealand History. Retrieved 2 July, 2007, from http://www.nzjewisharchives.org/history.htm Crighton, S. A. (1985). William Henry Clayton: Colonial Architect. Unpublished Masters Thesis, , Christchurch.

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